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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28699536">where the fireflies sleep</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/aanathemaa/pseuds/aanathemaa'>aanathemaa</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020), Teen Wolf (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Attempted Murder, Banshee Lydia Martin, Crime Scenes, Crimes &amp; Criminals, Established Relationship, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Language, Murder, Serial Killers, Whump</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:40:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,840</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28699536</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/aanathemaa/pseuds/aanathemaa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>DISCLAIMER: This is basically a true-crime work of fiction. If you're uncomfortable with anything related to true-crime, proceed with caution. Nothing very graphic in it (at least so far), but a fair warning to anyone who's not into this kind of story. </p><p>It also centers around Carlos, with some Tarlos as a bonus, so keep that in mind.</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------</p><p>"I thought you'd be more excited about the help." TK glanced at him, "Didn't you say that Jake was pretty useless?"</p><p>"It's not that, it's just," Carlos paused, approaching his boyfriend to give him a small kiss before taking a seat at the kitchen table, "she's barely out of law school and she's already famous for breaking protocols."</p><p>TK hummed, turning off the stove and grabbing a bowl of fresh fruit to add on top of the pancakes.</p><p>"So she's not very good then."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Carlos Reyes/TK Strand</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>where the fireflies sleep</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"And who is this detective exactly?" TK asked, flipping a pancake as he did.</p><p>"Lydia Martin." Carlos answered with a sigh, buttoning the shirt of his uniform and tucking it into his pants. </p><p>"I thought you'd be more excited about the help." TK glanced at him, "Didn't you say that Jake was pretty useless?"</p><p>"It's not that, it's just," Carlos paused, approaching his boyfriend to give him a small kiss before taking a seat at the kitchen table, "she's barely out of law school and she's already famous for breaking protocols."</p><p>TK hummed, turning off the stove and grabbing a bowl of fresh fruit to add on top of the pancakes.</p><p>"So she's not very good then."</p><p>"No, she is," Carlos replied, "she's pretty much solved all of her cases so far, but her unorthodox ways have made her unpopular among the officers."</p><p>TK chuckled, setting a plate in front of Carlos before sitting down across him.  </p><p>"If she's that successful, maybe her unorthodox methods should be given a chance."</p><p>"I heard she once broke into a man's apartment because she thought there was valuable information inside his living room wall." Carlos deadpans, "I'm not trying to belittle her success, I'm just saying that the girl's already got a second psych evaluation within one year of being in the field."</p><p>TK's eyebrows shot up at Carlos' words, obviously expecting something milder than that. </p><p>"That sounds very weird," he agreed, taking a sip of coffee, "but how does she actually solve the cases then?"</p><p>"I'm not really sure, but I guess I'm about to find out if I'm going to work with her." Carlos said before taking a bite from his pancakes, "I just hope we're going to solve this case one way or another."</p><p>TK nodded. He'd heard all about the murders that had taken place in the past few months because Carlos had been assigned to the team investigating them. It was a step up the ladder and Carlos was happy about it so TK was happy for him. Considering his dedication to the job, he certainly deserved it. </p><p>Still, being a police officer came with major risks and TK would lie if he said he didn't worry sometimes. He knew none of their jobs was risk-free because helping people out of difficult situations or trying to stop someone who's threatening the rest of the community can be complicated, but he was only human. Having that knowledge or choosing that line of work didn't help the fear of losing your loved ones. </p>
<hr/><p>"Miss Martin will be here in about two hours." Jake grumbled, walking towards his office as Carlos, Ryan and Ava trailed after him. Carlos knew Jake was really angry about losing the case — he had witnessed a rather nasty exchange between him and the captain — but he was also happy to see him go.</p>
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>He had no idea if the woman replacing him was going to be much better, all the things he'd heard about her were coming from people who knew people who had worked with her once, but Jake was obviously not an option anymore. Not if they wanted to prevent more women from being killed.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Jake had been there for three months, during which two more murders happened right under his nose, and all the people they had been suspecting had strong alibis. Carlos and his teammates had done everything they were asked, but the man was simply guiding them in the wrong direction.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Is it true, sir?" Ryan asked as they entered the room, closing the door behind them, "That she's solved all of her cases?"</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Jake looked at him for a moment, a sour look on his face. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"She's been lucky."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Lucky? She sounds like a genius to me." Ava piped up, grinning with excitement.  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Jake sighed and sat down at his desk, looking through his things. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Miss Brown, I'm going to ask you to refrain from such unprofessional outbursts."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Sorry, sir." Ava straightened up, but she kept smiling. Unlike a lot of Carlos' colleagues, she seemed happy about the prospect of meeting the new detective. Carlos wasn't exactly opposed to it either, he just wanted someone more capable this time.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Carlos, you're the senior officer here." Jake stood up and walked towards him, handing him some papers, "I've written a case report for Miss Martin to read, but you'll have to go through the details with her. They need me back in San Antonio so I won't be able to discuss it with her myself."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Carlos nodded and took the report. He doubted Jake had to leave so soon, but he supposed the man was too proud to meet the young woman who was about to take his place.</p>
</div><div class=""><p>Jake hadn't badmouthed her to the team yet, he didn't have the time, but Carlos knew how he really felt about her. He had told the captain that it'd be a mistake to replace him with someone so unbalanced and Carlos hadn't heard what the captain replied, but he had seen Jake storm out of the station. </p>
<hr/><p>"Everyone," the captain said, gaining the officers' attention, "this is Lydia Martin. She is the detective who will be working with Reyes' team on the Barton Creek murders case. Please make her feel welcome." </p><p>Next to Captain Wilson, Carlos could see a woman who looked no older than twenty-five. She was small, had long, strawberry blonde hair, and her eyes darted curiously around the room. She didn't seem to pay attention to the introduction because when the captain paused to give her time to say hello, she was still staring at the new faces in front of her. The captain coughed awkwardly, glancing at her, and that's when she came to, realizing it was her turn to say something. </p><p>"Yes, of course." she shook her head, a slightly nervous smile on her face, "Hi. You can call me Lydia. I look forward to working with all of you." </p><p>The captain seemed satisfied with that, though there was a nervous glint in his eye too. </p><p>"Reyes," he called, and Carlos rushed from his spot to them, "please show Miss Martin to her office." </p><p>"Of course, sir." Carlos nodded. He was about to turn and show Lydia the way to Jake's former office, but she spoke up before he could.</p><p>"It's detective." she said, looking up at the captain.</p><p>"Pardon me?" </p><p>"It's Detective Martin, not Miss Martin." She explained with a smile. They stared at each other for a while, the captain seemingly taken aback by her comment, and Carlos could feel the tension in the air. She definitely had a point though. </p><p>"Yes, you're absolutely right. My bad, Detective Martin." the captain said, offering her a tight smile in return. </p><p>Lydia nodded, pleased with his reply, and she turned to Carlos for guidance.</p><p>"Please follow me." Carlos told her, leading the way as Ryan and Ava moved from their spots and hurried after them. </p><p>Upon entering the rather small office, Lydia briefly glanced around the room, taking in her new surroundings.</p><p>"Detective Martin," Carlos started, his tone cautious.</p><p>"It's okay, you can call me Lydia." Lydia said, "What should I call you?" </p><p>"Carlos." he gave her a small smile, "And this is Ava and Ryan. We're here to help you solve this case."</p><p>Lydia took a moment to look at all three officers and smiled when her eyes fell on Ava's excited expression.</p><p>"We're going to give you a minute to settle in."</p><p>"No need to." Lydia placed her bag on the desk while Ryan shot a dubios look at Carlos, "The sooner I know the details, the faster we can solve this. What do you know so far?"</p><p>"Not a lot, but-" </p><p>"We know that whoever's doing this, they have a pattern;" Ava piped up, interrupting Carlos. Carlos turned towards her with a quirked eyebrow, but Ava was already taking out files from the case folder, "young blonde women. Different social backgrounds and there's no connection between them. They were not friends." she explained, pushing pictures and statements from friends and family towards Lydia.</p><p>Lydia looked between them for a second, noticing the sudden interruption and Carlos' reaction to it. Ava also seemed to realize what she'd done because she gave Carlos an apologetic smile and took a step back from the desk.</p><p>"Seven victims, right?" Lydia asked, picking up a picture for closer inspection.  </p><p>"Six." Carlos corrected her, "We're not sure the seventh one is connected to this case." </p><p>"Why? She doesn't fit the pattern?"</p><p>"She fits the physical pattern; mid twenties, blonde hair, but all of the victims have been found in or just outside Barton Creek. Mary, the seventh girl, was found in Willowbrook Reach, which is not exactly close to Barton Creek. Two officers are currently looking into it; talking to relatives and searching for clues."</p><p>"Maybe he just changed locations. Is anyone patrolling Barton Creek?" Lydia looked up at Carlos for a moment before she placed the photo back on the desk and started rummaging through her bag. She pulled out a map of Austin and laid it out.</p><p>"We have two cars patrolling the area, one at night and one during the day." Carlos said with a sigh, "They've only started this three months ago, right after the fifth victim showed up, but it's not enough. Barton Creek is pretty big and the Captain says we don't have enough people to guard the whole trail. The victims' families aren't happy with our progress and I don't blame them."</p><p>Lydia nodded, offering Carlos a sympathetic smile before looking back through the pictures of the victims. The office was completely silent for a little while.</p><p>"Their eyes..." she trailed off, swallowing past the lump in her throat at the graphic details of the crime scenes. All of the girls had their eyes gouged out and Lydia could only hope that they weren't still alive when that happened.</p><p>Carlos looked towards Ava and nodded at her.</p><p>"We think it's a mark." Ava told her, "Ryan and I looked into it, but we're not sure if it's supposed to send a message or it's just something he enjoys doing, like a signature." </p><p>Lydia hummed, frowning at the mess of pictures and papers in front of her. </p><p>"So we're thinking a white male, probably not older than fifty."</p><p>Carlos sighed. She was right. It was the standard description for most serial killers.</p><p>"Yeah, something like that." Ryan said with a grim expression.</p><p>"The captain told me no witnesses so I can't hope for a sketch or anything?"</p><p>"No, none at all. It's why we need all the help we can get. So far, no one's seen any of these girls with a strange man and all the suspects we've had provided solid proofs for their alibis. They were all unlikely options anyway, but we were desperate."</p><p>"Alright then." Lydia straightened up and started pulling her hair in a messy bun, "Thank you. I'll look through all these files and we'll talk more after that."</p></div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you enjoyed it!<br/>Comments are always appreciated! 💗</p></blockquote></div></div>
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